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Benefit from our all-inclusive flat booking fee which means you’re never charged for extras – a great way to manage your costs per booking. Personalized, one-on-one service levels are what we are known for – that’s why they call us the experts!
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You don’t need to be a multi-national company to get the lowest possible travel rates – you just need to bring an expert on board!
DEPARTMENTS
Publisher/Editor Garth Eichel
Art Director Jacalin Jefferson
Account Manager Garth Eichel
Contributors
Samuel Coll
Sue Denham
Garth Eichel
Sue Kernaghan
Robert Loblaw
Scott MacDonald
Heath Moffatt
MaryLou Wakefield
For information on display advertising opportunities, contact Garth Eichel at: garth@archipelagomedia.com
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in-flight review (IFR) is a quarterly magazine published by Archipelago Media Ltd. for Helijet International Inc. All published material is the copyright of Archipelago Media Ltd. No part of this publication, in whole or in part, may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The written and photographic material published in in-flight review does not necessarily reflect the views of the air carrier or the publisher. Information and images produced in the magazine are believed to be accurate and truthful, but the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors.
Advertising in in-flight review magazine does not indicate an endorsement by Helijet International Inc. or Archipelago Media Ltd. ISSN 1916-5080
a bove: Shipyard workers in Vancouver and Victoria have a lot to smile about since a new federal shipbuilding contract was awarded to Seaspan ulc h eath Moffatt photo.
Sa Mu El coll
RIDE
Classic car tours offer a trip through time By g arth Eich El Photo S By hE ath Moffatt
B.C.’s shipbuilding industry rides a new wave of prosperity
By Marylou Wa KEfi El D
S By hE ath Moffatt
a bove: c lassic cars, such as this 1990 Daimler Jaguar, offer a different perspective on Victoria. h eath Moffatt photo.
FALL 2012 vo L UME
Photo
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W HEN HELIJET DECIDED to go carbon neutral in 2009, it joined the ranks of other sustainability-minded companies like Microsoft and Google that wanted to be accountable for their operations’ carbon emissions. For the last three years, Helijet has been measuring its carbon emissions, reducing them wherever possible and, finally, purchasing carbon offsets to cover the remainder.
The carbon offsets they purchase come from Pacific Carbon Trust’s portfolio of independently verified B.C.-based greenhouse gas reduction projects. These projects are operated by organizations that have invested in new activities and infrastructure to reduce their emissions, relying on the income from selling offsets to help make these projects viable.
Pacific Carbon Trust was established in 2008 with the mandate of supplying the provincial government and private clients like Helijet with high-quality made-in-B.C. offsets. The goal was not just to help government and other organizations become carbon neutral. The under-lying plan was to help drive a shift away from emissions-intensive practices, towards more sustainable energy sources and cleaner tech-nologies. Now, results show that protecting the environment does not come at a cost — just the opposite, in fact.
A recent report conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers provides the first data on the important contribution carbon offsetting has made to the provincial economy. The report analyzes the economic impact of 31 B.C.-based offset projects in Pacific Carbon Trust’s portfolio. These projects have incented approximately $317 million in capital spending to date and support nearly 3,000 jobs. Investment in these projects generated approximately $242.6 million in gross domestic product between 2008 and 2012.
Importantly, the economic impact of these projects is spread over seven key sectors: clean technology, forestry, mining, oil and gas, agriculture, waste management and manufacturing. This testifies to the wide scope of opportunities in B.C. to bring cleaner technologies online with the incentive of a price on carbon.
But the opportunities do not end in B.C. A second report by Deloitte shows that there is significant potential beyond B.C.’s borders to capitalize on the progress we have already made. According to the World Bank, global carbon markets were worth uSD $176 billion in 2011, a year when strong economic headwinds curbed global produc-tion and consequently, the need for offsets. As global economies ramp up again,
so will the need for high-quality offsets. As an early leader in the North American carbon market, B.C. is in an ideal position to benefit from this growth.
More than just offsetting their emissions, Helijet is part of an economy-wide solution to climate change. Helijet’s commitment to offsetting helps create demand for the development of cleaner technologies. This is generating revenues and job opportunities at home. Pacific Carbon Trust is proud to be a part of Helijet’s commitment to sustainability, and proud of its role in encouraging growth of the low carbon economy in B.C.
Please visit pacificcarbontrust.com to read the two reports and learn more about our company.
Scott MacDonald, cEo, Pacific carbon trust
Rich Harvey, CGA Hockey Finance Manager Bauer Canada
Certified General Accountants see more than numbers. When it comes to leadership, we see the impact and opportunity behind those numbers. That’s because, in this fast changing economic climate, innovative leadership is seeing how numbers impact our business – before they do.
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USB T YPEWRITER
Nothing says “serious writer at work” better than the click-click-ping of a manual typewriter. Retrophiles can relive those days — and still get their email — with this witty innovation. Described by inventor Jack Zylkin as “a groundbreaking advancement in the field of obsolescence,” uSB Typewriter offers a line of antique typewriters that work as computer keyboards. Choose from steam-punk Victoriana, sleek Mad Men styles and more; they’ll work with PCs, Macs and iPads. There’s even a do-it-yourself kit to help bring Grandma’s olivetti into the computer age. usbtypewriter.com
FUNKY FINNISH FASHIONS
BIOLITE C AMP S TOVE
Charge your phone with a pile of twigs? Sure. The BioLite CampStove runs on nothing but fuel gathered from the forest floor. A few handfuls of tinder provide enough heat to boil water, heat up a meal, or even generate electricity for phones, flashlights or just about any uSB-powered device. You can even toast marshmallows over it, and you’ll never have to lug around a can of fuel again. The small version is great for camping, backpacking and survival kits. In the developing world, a larger version called the BioLite HomeStove is making a huge difference for some of the estimated three billion people who still cook daily on open fires. biolitestove.com
Finnish design company Marimekko has been delighting Europeans (as well as such style icons as Jackie Kennedy and Carrie Bradshaw) with their delightfully offbeat textiles for more than five decades. Now Victorians can get in on the fun with clothes, home décor and accessories — everything from napkins to t-shirts — available at Leka Design on Fort Street. Lekadesign.com marimekko.com
WRIST BIKE MIRROR
This little item is so low-tech it’s a wonder it wasn’t invented years ago. Simpler (and more stylish) than attaching mirrors to handlebars or helmets and much safer than shoulder checks, this convex chrome mirror straps to a rider’s wrist like a watch, enabling cyclists to check for overtaking cars before attempting that death-defying left turn. It’s also handy for fixing helmet hair on arrival. kikkerland.com
VOLTAIC OFFGRID SOLAR BACKPACK
o ff the grid? No worries. These backpacks can cart your stuff and charge your gizmos at the same time. Choose from the 25-litre o ffGrid Solar Backpack or the 16-litre (daypack size) Converter Solar Backpack. Both have padded laptop sleeves and solar panels that can be removed and attached to different bags. The panels can charge most uSB devices, including Apple products.
voltaicsystems.com
YAY L ABS! ICE CREAM BALL
Throw a ball; have some ice cream. What better way to use kinetic energy? Just fill this spacey looking ball with ice and rock salt in one end and ice cream mix (sugar, cream and flavour) in the other end. Toss it, roll it, or shake it around for 20 minutes, and there’s your pint of butter pecan. industrialrev.com
For information on aircraft fleet specifications and capabilities, please visit helijet.com/charter
CREW
By Sue DenHam
Eye For Detail
Jim Forbes monitors company systems and procedures to ensure Helijet operates to the highest standard
IT GoES WITHou T SAYING that people make mistakes. But that doesn’t mean it is acceptable.
The bar is high in the aviation industry where errors can have serious consequences. For that reason, Helijet polices itself with the help of Jim Forbes, the company’s Quality Assurance (Q.A.) manager.
“Every department has procedures and systems to follow,” says Forbes. “My job is to verify they are following them.”
Forbes explains that, as Q.A. manager, he is responsible for oversight and compliance, doing periodic inspections to verify all aspects of the company’s systems and practices comply with regulations and approved company procedures. At the same time, he identifies non-conformances, presents them to each department as applicable, then works with staff to develop, implement and follow-up on rectifications to ensure the original problem is fixed quickly, while eliminating the possibility of it happening again.
Being a Q.A. manager is not a popularity contest: “Nobody likes Q.A. very much,” says Forbes, with a wintery grin.
Forbes seems too nice for the job. Cheerful and avuncular, he doesn’t look the type to find fault in others. Yet he is remarkably good at it, having spent some 38 years in the business of keeping aircraft safe.
Starting out as a young apprentice in the 1970s, turning wrenches on Second World War era water-bombers, Forbes
became a licenced aircraft maintenance engineer (AME), working for a variety of companies all over Canada and around the world. He now holds a range of international licences that permit him to work on everything from floatplanes and helicopters to corporate jets and airliners. What is more, he meets the criteria to be a Minister’s Delegate-Maintenance (MD-M), making him one of a select group of aircraft maintenance engineers in the country authorized to issue Certificates of Airworthiness to civil aeroplanes and rotorcraft. In other words, he knows his stuff.
He also knows that keeping up with Transport Canada’s bureaucracy can tax even the most fastidious companies.
“As a company expands and grows it is difficult to stay on top of all the regulatory changes,” says Forbes. “What was right five years ago may not be right now. Part of my job is making sure people are properly trained and keeping up with changes.”
Being Helijet’s unbending traffic cop has its own rewards, too: “The most satisfying thing about this job is having one audit get better after another. If you get a good audit it means the team is working well together and doing what they are supposed to.” He adds, “My hobby is my job. I love watching aircraft go out and come back safe.”
Sikorsky S76A
Bell 206L3 LongRanger
Sikorsky S76C+ (BC Ambulance Service)
Learjet 31A
Jim forbes, Quality a ssurance Manager, helijet.
MUSIC FOR THE AGES
By Samuel Coll
The many benefits of learning to play at any age
THeRe aRe noT many SkillS in this world one wouldn’t want to have. Speak four languages? Absolutely. Do 100 push-ups in five minutes? Could be handy. Juggle eight chainsaws at once? Why not? But to play a musical instrument is on a whole other level — it’s one of those skills most everyone would put near or at the top their personal improvement wish list. unfortunately, most of us believe that if musical skills weren’t acquired in
childhood then it is simply too late. Indeed, the thought of learning to play music as an adult can be daunting, perhaps even debilitating.
Nevertheless, the desire to learn music is difficult to shake for many. It lingers at the back of the mind for years, inviting renewed attention every time we walk by that shiny red Les Paul guitar in the window of the music store, or hear a favorite song on the radio.
This is the understated power of music. Certainly, it’s difficult to overstate the power or importance of music, though it is easy enough to take it for granted: funding for school music programs gets cut, fewer and fewer records are being bought and sold, and an ever-increasing number of electronic distractions are keeping instruments out of the hands of young people. Yet, while the question of music’s place in our society is as difficult to answer as it has ever been, it remains pretty far-fetched to imagine a world without it.
That’s because music is part of the human condition. And while some are better at it than others, it remains a craft that can be learned by most anyone.
So, you think: why not me? Can I not make these wonderful sounds myself? The short answer to this question is another question: why not you? We know the desire to play is strong in a great many people, so why isn’t everybody a confident musician? What seems to be in short supply is not willingness, but the courage and encouragement to pursue music and actually pick up an instrument and start learning it.
o f course, life has a habit of wearing down desires in many of us, and the obstacles to learning to play music can seem insurmountable at first blush.
First, there’s the time involved: hours and hours of practice and instruction. Then there is the expense: buying an instrument, taking care of it, purchasing lesson time, and all the costly peripherals that go along with playing. But perhaps the greatest impediment of all is our culturally entrenched notion that learning to play music is the province of the very young — that so-called “selfish” learning pursuits in adulthood are improbably difficult, if not pointless.
This is wrong-headed. Learning to play an instrument, whether you are six or 60, is a noble endeavor that boosts self-esteem, nourishes the mind and spirit, and provides many opportunities for social networking. It is a dynamic, multi-faceted learning experience that can inspire and challenge you for the rest of your life.
Tempo Trend Music in Victoria has been offering lessons to all comers since Zoran Hergt founded the store in the 1960s. His son, Martin Hergt, manages the store now and he says he never tires of seeing musical talent blossom in the hearts and minds of students, young and old alike.
“We’ve had people in their 60s and 70s, post-stroke or post-heart attack, come into the store, having never played a note in their life,” says Hergt. “A few months later they’re making as good progress as anyone. Their doctors can’t believe how well they’re doing. They tell them: ‘that instrument is saving your life.’”
Scientists and doctors the world over have long advocated the benefits of learning music, for reasons as diverse as general mental acuity to stroke recovery. Conventional wisdom has it that learning an instrument forms new pathways in the brain that remain stubbornly dormant and inaccessible in non-musicians.
Tellingly, neuroscientist Lutz Jäncke reported in an october 2009 article in the journal faculty of 1000 that adult subjects with no musical background who trained on the piano for only two weeks “showed significant enlargement of [the brain’s ability to process auditory stimuli] after training compared with a group who only listened to music.”
There are other benefits, too, particularly in terms of self-actualization. Learning to play music can’t be faked. It takes time, energy and perseverance to become accomplished. understandably, the warm, fuzzy feelings that accompany personal achievement are a deserved boost to the ego.
What is more, being able to play a repertoire of songs to an appreciative audience of family, friends or strangers is an attractive ability. It’s natural and healthy to seek this kind of acceptance and respect from one’s peer group. It’s all part of being a social creature.
And being social creatures, it’s worth noting that there are few things that rival the opportunities created by being a part of your local community of musicians. Even if they don’t see eye-to-eye stylistically, there’s a spirit of acceptance and respect that goes with being members of an implicit family. And you don’t need to be Miles Davis to earn entry; usually, a simple desire to play and improve is all that’s needed to start making new friends and forming new associations.
All this suggests learning a musical instrument is a boon to our brains and sense of self worth. Doubtless, there are many other benefits — too many to list — but ultimately, playing music is a primordial urge, the value of which is obvious to anyone who has ever tried.
MEET BOUTIQUE.
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500 Oswego Street | Victoria, BC T:250.294.7500 | 1.877.767.9346 reservations@oswegovictoria.com oswegovictoria.com
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By GaRTH eiCHel PHoToS By HeaTH moffaTT
Sweet Ride
ClassiC Car Tours o FFer a T rip TH roug H T ime
PLANNING ouR WEDDING earlier this year, my bride handed me a sheet entitled “Groom’s Duties” and at the top of the list the first task read, “book getaway car”. I had already hired a school bus to ferry guests to the venue and back and, looking to cut costs, I suggested we catch a ride on the bus and save a few dollars.
Big mistake. My beloved furrowed her brow and icily said, “I am not leaving our wedding in a school bus.”
“Why not?” I replied, failing to pick up what she was putting down.
“Because we want to do this right,” she replied, gently. “We should leave our wedding in style.”
Grasping the importance (and emphasis) of her response, I placed a call to Victoriabased Ascot Limousine Services and hired Gilles Proulx to spirit us away from the great event in his 1990 Daimler Jaguar.
Lucky for me, it was just what my bride had in mind.
“There’s an old World elegance and politeness about this car,” says Proulx. “People feel very special in it . . . it’s a real ego boost.”
Facing page: Larry Fletcher, owner of Classic Car Tours Victoria, and his tour guide, “Lady”, offer passengers a unique driving experience in an original 1926 Model T Ford. This page: Getting up close and personal with a 1990 Daimler Jaguar offers a different perspective on Victoria.
fall IN LOVE WITH OUR COMFORT FOOD
Indeed, we felt quite grand departing our wedding reception, stepping back in time aboard a historic car that once carted around the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, England.
Classic cars are not just about weddings, though. Going above and beyond my groom duties, I began researching other opportunities and excuses to joyride in heritage vehicles.
British cars seem popular in Victoria so I was curious about Victoria’s London Taxi Tours, which operates an original 1970 Austin, FX4, London taxi cab. Popular among tourists and anglophiles, this recognizable car offers tours of the city and special event services.
top: o wned and operated by Victoria-based a scot limousine Service, this 1990 Daimler Jaguar once belonged to the lord Mayor of Birmingham, England. a t left: Drivers from classic car tours Victoria and london taxi cab tours delight in giving passengers the ride of a lifetime. right: this 1954 cadillac fleetwood, operated by classic car tours Victoria, is remarkably spacious, seating up to seven in comfort.
“old cars are nostalgic,” says tour guide, Sandra Found. “They bring back good memories.”
Vintage North American vehicles have a huge following, too, says Larry Fletcher, owner of Classic Car Tours Victoria, which operates several eye-catching cars, including a 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood, a 1965 Pontiac Parisienne and, notably, an original 1926 Model T Ford affectionately named “Stella”.
VICTORIA
DONNA EICHEL
“The Model T is a real smile generator,” says Fletcher, noting that Stella is the oldest licenced sightseeing car in B.C. “I love that I can bring smiles to faces with old technology.”
To demonstrate his point, I joined Fletcher at Classic Car Tours Victoria’s downtown location on Belleville Street, in front of the former CP Steamship Terminal, from where we set out for an open-top drive along the Victoria waterfront one sunny afternoon.
Hand-cranking the engine, Fletcher’s Model T snorts and coughs to life before settling into a steady, rhythmic put-put-put. I climb into the front seat and watch as Fletcher manipulates an unfamiliar set of gears and levers, starting us rolling along at a brisk 20 kmh.
Making our way around James Bay, Fletcher explains that Stella doesn’t operate like your typical automatic or standard car. A Model T, he says, requires delicate finessing of the engine and planetary gear transmission. At the same time, he points out a number of sights and landmarks, filling in curious bits of local history that I wasn’t aware of, despite living in Victoria for most of my adult life.
We continue along Dallas Road up to Government Street where we hang a left towards downtown, trundling downhill at an unimpressive top speed of 30 kmh.
We’re in no rush, though. Scores of pedestrians stop to watch us go by, smiling and waving appreciation for this historic piece of machinery. The effect is contagious; I can’t help smiling and waving back.
“Road rage wouldn’t exist if we all drove classic cars,” says Fletcher.
Vintage cars aren’t just for tourists and newlyweds, though. Fletcher operates several vehicles year-round for a variety of purposes including anniversaries, graduations, romantic dinners and photo tours, and he says he is in the process of developing custom wine tours for the Cowichan Valley and Saanich Peninsula.
What is more, Fletcher is restoring a 1958 Ford Fairlane 500 that will be added to the fleet next spring. He and his crew are also rebuilding a 1926 Cadillac Limousine that once belonged to the Dunsmuir family.
Fortunately, one need not be an heir to the Dunsmuir fortune to experience the rush and nostalgia of a vintage automobile. At around $80 an hour, hiring a classic car is an affordable way to highlight any special occasion.
I look forward to seeing my wife’s reaction on our first anniversary.
Keels & Communities
B.C.’s shipbuilding industry rides a new wave of prosperity
By m aRylou WakefielD PHoToS By HeaTH moffaT T
SHIPBUILDING has long been a tradition on the B.C. Coast, and over the course of its more than 100-year history, it has been an integral part of the story of this province’s economic growth and resource development. It was a crucial link in developing coastal commerce, despite the ebbs of flows of activity in the early years. It played a vital role during two world wars, and it has supported communities throughout the province by providing employment to thousands of workers.
Against a backdrop of abrupt growth and sharp declines in the industry, the announcement last year that Seaspan uLC was awarded a federal government shipbuilding contract to build the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) program’s non-combat ships, stands to reinvigorate the industry and move it forward as a viable, competitive and sustainable industry in the future.
Today, Victoria Shipyards is humming with activity. Gigantic cranes reaching skyward 115 feet, tower over the expansive 25-acre production site. Containers, sheds and temporary structures of all shapes and sizes provide space for steel forming and fabrication, new construction fabrication and assembly, pipe fabrication and welding, an electrical shop, joiner and sheet metal shops, sandblasting shed and other support facilities.
Currently occupying centre stage is the Royal Canadian Navy’s impressive west coast supply ship — hMc S Protecteur — 172 metres in length with a displacement of 8,380 tons.
“A ship is a small city,” says Malcolm Barker, Victoria Shipyards’ Vice President and General Manager. “It has electricity, water, air conditioning, lights, electronics, and a variety of habitat for over 200 naval personel
and, it’s self-contained. It’s a very unique industrial challenge.”
Inside Victoria Shipyards’ worksheds one gets a sense of the scale and magnitude of the challenge. Every surface is covered with thousands of pieces of specialized equipment laid out neatly, tagged and colour-coded for identification and evaluation. Every piece is assessed, then either rebuilt or replaced.
“Building a ship is very labour intensive,”says Barker. “It’s all about the people — quality trades people who are fabricating or erecting steel, pulling cable, or installing pipe.”
In this rugged environment, an emphasis on safety and security for the workers can be seen everywhere. A horn blasts, warning a huge crane is about to move along railway tracks that run the length of the yard. Men and women don protective boots, hard hats, ear- and eye-protection and move
Facing page: Sparks fly at Victoria Shipyards where workers are spoolingup for the federal government’s non-combat shipbuilding program.
This page: A cruise ship undergoes repairs at Victoria Shipyards in Esquimalt.
quickly and efficiently across a gangway that links the yard to the vessel. Workers swipe an identification card that tracks their movement on and off the ship, making it easier to account for every person on site when employees are called to muster in case of an emergency.
Today, Victoria Shipyards is a fully-fledged marine facility with 1,100 skilled tradespeople and 150 management personnel — a far cry from its humble beginnings in 1994 when it had 10 employees and occupied one 20-foot container.
John Shaw, Vice President, Government Relations and Business Development at Seaspan is optimistic about the future: “Having a sustainable, long-term (NSPS) program makes it easier to invest in facilities and bring them up to world-class standards,” says Shaw. “It’s easier to train people in the short- and long-term, and it brings new generations into the shipbuilding industry, allowing us to improve and develop our processes.”
While Seaspan has been a steady employer and constant figure on the
shipbuilding scene in B.C. over the past 100 years, it has been primarily engaged in its own fleet. This long-term federal government contract will shift some of its focus to building and repairing ships for other clients — work they estimate could extend for decades.
SHIPBUILDING TRADITIONS
Some of the earliest references to shipbuilding in B.C. date back more than a century. The discovery of gold on the Fraser River in the 1850s created demand for ships to transport miners and supplies. Around the same time, on Vancouver Island, the Royal Navy’s Pacific Fleet was established at a base at Esquimalt in 1862. The bulk of the work then was ship refitting; the Canadian government later built a graving dock there in the 1880s.
The discovery of gold in the Klondike in 1897 brought even more miners, speculators, and merchants to B.C., all looking for passage north. Shipbuilding companies soon began to appear and in 1902 Vancouver Shipyards was incorporated, followed in 1914 by Yarrows (previously BC
Marine Railways) in Esquimalt, which was established for ship repair and new construction.
The shift from repair work to shipbuilding on the West Coast was ushered in with the outbreak of World War I. Coughlan and Sons set up operations at False Creek, and Wallace Shipbuilding in North Vancouver added capacity to their operation. In 1917 Wallace’s War Dog was the first steel oceangoing freighter completed and launched in B.C. At the same time, Coughlan constructed eight steel ships of American designs. In all, more than two dozen ships were built during the First World War.
In his book, Ships of Steel, T.A. McLaren notes that the benefits of the wartime shipbuilding boom weren’t limited to just shipyards. Local boiler shops, machine shops and other manufacturing and subcontracting firms also shared in the prosperity, albeit short-lived.
The end of the war brought more contracts for steel ships. As wooden shipbuilding facilities shut down, contracts for 14 steel ships were given to four yards — Wallace, Coughlan, Victoria Machinery Depot and the dry dock at Prince Rupert. A floating dry dock was constructed at Burrard Dry Dock in 1924 followed by a new dry dock in Esquimalt — the largest in the British Empire at the time.
After a decade of little activity in the 1930s, the Second World War ushered in another boom in shipbuilding. The first contracts that came to Canada were for new corvettes (patrol and convoy escort vessels) and minesweepers. By the end of the decade, the Royal Canadian Navy had ordered two coal-burning steam minesweepers in western Canada — one from Burrard
a cruise ship undergoes repairs at Victoria Shipyards in Esquimalt. o riginally constructed in 1887, the Esquimalt graving Dock was a joint effort of the British a dmiralty, the g overnment of canada and the B.c . provincial government.
Dry Dock, the other — hMc S nootka — from Yarrows shipyard. In 1940, more corvettes and minesweepers were ordered and a number of passenger vessels were converted for wartime use. A huge rise in demand for freighters brought contracts to six shipyards in B.C. and by 1942, according to the Bc Encyclopedia, 23,700 men and women were at work in B.C. shipyards. By the end of the war, 253 steel ships had been delivered from B.C.
Following the war, peacetime demand far exceeded the province’s shipbuilding capacity and so comp-
anies began consolidating.
To integrate its operation, Vancouver Tug purchased Vancouver Shipyards (originally incorporated in 1902).
Burrard Dry Dock merged with Yarrows to become Burrard Yarrows, the latter closing its Pacific
Dry Dock operation after the war.
The 1950s also saw changes in construction methods, shifting from riveted ships to all-welded. Indeed, Burrard Dry Dock produced its first all-welded ship, the destroyer escort hMc S Skeena,in 1952.
North Vancouver had four shipyards that stayed busy constructing ships though the 1960s and ’70s.
In 1970, Island Tug and Vancouver Tug formed a new corporate identity — Seaspan. In 1981, a new drydock was built in Japan and delivered to Versatile Pacific Shipyard.
Contracts for two Canadian Coast
Guard icebreakers — the Pierre Radisson and the Henry Larsen were delivered in 1978 and 1987 respectively. But with the loss of the contract to build the Polar 8 icebreaker, Versatile closed its operation in 1990.
G AME CHANGER
Now, with the new federal government contract anchoring its future, Seaspan sees the potential for B.C. to become a world-leader in shipbuilding. The company anticipates investment of between$150 and $200 million in new facilities and new equipment in Vancouver and Victoria, with billions of dollars injected into local economies, creating some 4,000 new jobs over the next eight years.
Key to winning this contract, says Shaw, was the “shipyard’s commitment to invest in facilities, processes and people to become world-class.”
The duration of the NSPS program will allow Seaspan to run a steady apprenticeship program to bring new trades people into the industry. In Vancouver, where the majority of activity will be, the number of employees will expand to about 1,000 workers by 2015-16, up from about 200 now.
top left: the first photograph taken of what is now yarrows ltd., established in 1894 by W. f.Bullen. Vessels in the photo are the barge, robert Kerr, and the paddle steamer isabel. top right: launching of hMc S Beacon hill at yarrows ltd. no. 1 yard. november 6, 1943. Below: Bc ferry Queen of nanaimo at Burrard Dry Docks, north Vancouver, being lengthened to accommodate more cars and passengers. Photos courtesy of the Maritime Museum of British columbia.
In Victoria, where much of the finishing and testing will be done, expectations are to add more workers.
“These are well paying jobs with long-term work that allows people to develop roots and become integral members of the community,” says Shaw.
Seaspan has been working with a number of partners to examine resource demands into the future.
The BC Shipbuilding and Repair Industry Workforce Table was established by the province in November 2011 to address increasing skilled labour requirements associated with the NSPS work and other significant projects in the sector.
The Table provides a strategy to inform post-secondary training institutions and programs that are needed to support the shipbuilding
sector. Identified in the Table are more than 20 types of trades in the shipbuilding and repair workforce, including electricians, machinists, metal fabricators, riggers, shipwrights and welders. Moreover the Table acknowledges that additional jobs will be needed in management, engineering, technical, supply chain and administration.
Central to winning the NSPS contract was a demonstration of Seaspan’s commitment to invest in the marine community, locally and across the country, in terms of human resources, technology and industrial development. on the human resource side, that means coordinating with several post secondary institutions in supporting training programs. In the area of technology, the organization is
looking at new shipbuilding technologies (products and materials) and technology transfers. Moreover, the contract allows Seaspan to develop the supply chain by supporting local suppliers on their way to becoming more competitive internationally and bringing new suppliers and their technology into Canada, both of which will help the company become more efficient.
Now, as B.C. prepares for another wave of ship construction, Seaspan can look forward to a prosperous future built on the foundations and traditions that helped shape the province’s shipbuilding communities.
Marylou Wakefield is a Victoria-based writer and editor who grew up in north Vancouver within earshot of Burrard Drydock.
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SSumptuous Slowdown
Hastings House is salt spring island’s decompression destination
MY EASTERN FRIENDS have a habit of rolling their eyes when I talk about needing a break from work. There is a general perception in the rest of Canada that life is one long vacation here in “British California”. Perhaps so for retirees and aging hippies, but I’m pretty sure I work just as hard now as I did in o ttawa, Winnipeg and Yellowknife. The only difference is that I don’t want to travel 500 miles from home when I’m on vacation.
Therein lies the beauty of the West Coast: there is so much to see and do in our backyard that it is hard to justify going far afield on days off. Moreover, I like “staycations” that can be squeezed into a two- or threeday weekend. The advantage being a nice break without egregiously falling behind at work.
Feeling harried at our respective offices, my wife, Heather, and I recently opted for an autumn getaway to Hastings House on Salt Spring Island. And what a difference a few days can make.
By GaRTH eiCHel
Day one, I started out grumpy, cursing traffic on the Pat Bay Highway all the way from Victoria to the Swartz Bay Ferry terminal. My mood slightly improved when I realized there would be no sailing waits and a spot was assured. Still, I found myself trying to manage business affairs on my iPhone all the way to Fulford Harbour. But just as we reached Salt Spring Island I lost cell coverage and found myself cut off from work. My initial frustration was soon replaced by resignation and the realization that I really did need to leave the office at home.
Rolling off the ferry in Fulford, I found myself marvelling at the beauty of Salt Spring in autumn. Fall colours were just starting to turn in the gentle sun and the drive to Ganges took us past idyllic farms, vineyards and orchards, all ready to be picked over. In the distance, we could see sailboats plying nearby waters, enjoying these last remaining weeks of warm weather.
Photos courtesy of Hastings House Country House Hotel
I wanted to take it all in so I pulled over on the side of the road to let vehicle traffic from the ferry pass us, allowing us the chance to sightsee without tailgaters.
Heather looked at me with a wry grin and said, “That’s not like you”.
Carrying on at a leisurely pace, we reached the town of Ganges by mid-afternoon in a decidedly better mood than when we started that morning. our spirits lifted still more when we arrived at the hotel.
Perched on a gentle hill overlooking Ganges Harbour, Hastings House is a historic 22-acre farm property that was transformed into a country house hotel, complete with an 11th Century-style Sussex manor house, cottages and manicured gardens. The distinct heritage feel doesn’t come at the expense of amenities or service, though: Hastings House is a Relais & Châteaux, often ranked as one of the best in North America.
Why that is became evident as Heather and I walked the grounds, soaking in the post-card perfect scene: fragrant herb and flower gardens neatly separate cozy cottages; here and there remarkable works of local art and sculpture dot the property; and following the garden path to the manor house we discover an expansive view of Ganges Harbour.
Impressions continue to form in the manor house where hand-hewn timbers and stone masonry make me think of the Cotswolds. Yet there is also a distinct feel of Salt Spring to the hotel that combines local whimsy with historic elegance.
After settling in with the help of the hotel’s attentive staff, we relax with a glass of wine on the patio before dinner, watching boats bob at anchor in the late evening sun. When our table is ready we continue enjoying the same view from the comfort of the dining room where a range of gourmet delights are prepared using the best the Island and hotel have to offer.
The next morning, I find it hard to pull myself out of a bed that envelops me like warm bread. Still, the need for caffeine and fresh-baked muffins overcomes sloth. Heather and I gather ourselves up for an English breakfast in the dining room and then set out, keen to explore the Island’s shops, markets and local wineries.
Chilling and shopping in Ganges is a good way to start the day, but we soon press on to the Island’s three wineries — Mistaken Identity, Garry oaks and Salt Spring Vineyards. Each has its own style and character, and all three make excellent wine representative of the local terroir.
o f course, what is wine without cheese? Accordingly, we make a special trip to the Salt Spring Island Cheese Company’s shop and farm on Reynolds Road to do a tasting, and pick up an assortment of cheeses and chutneys.
on our way back to Hastings House we pit stop at a farmers market to buy fresh fruit and veggies. For the first time in my life I find myself enjoying sitar music and entertaining thoughts of wearing tie-dye.
Perhaps Salt Spring is affecting me too much.
Fortunately, there isn’t much hippie attire at Hastings House. After a long day of sightseeing my wife and I strike up a conversation with another couple who have also chosen to escape their busy professional lives for a quick attitude adjustment. They, too, are feeling the immediate benefits of decompressing in an elegant setting where a premium is placed on observing a slower, gentler pace.
With that in mind, Heather and I resolve to spend the next day reading, sleeping and relaxing at the hotel. After all, it seems a shame to abandon such a beautiful place to pursue another daylong itinerary.
At the end of three days the only difficult task is prying ourselves away from Hastings House and embarking on the ferry home. Nevertheless, back on Vancouver Island, the Pat Bay Highway somehow seems less taxing than it did 72 hours earlier, and I’m all too happy to pull over and let tailgaters hurry past.
a bove: the centrepiece of hastings house hotel is an 11th century Sussex-style manor that combines old World elegance with a distinct g ulf islands influence. facing page: g uests at hastings house can unwind on the hotel patio with an expansive view of g anges harbour.
By GaRTH eiCHel
Garden of Earthly Delights
s weet delicacies from the roof of The Fairmont Waterfront
T HE THIRD -FLooR TERRACE of The Fairmont Waterfront is pretty much what you’d expect of a luxury hotel in the heart of downtown Vancouver: a breathtaking view of the city and mountains; an inviting crystal clear pool surrounded by deck chairs; a manicured garden with flowers in bloom; beehives.
That’s right, beehives. Complete with thousands of pollen-addled honey bees tumbling about.
“The Fairmont Waterfront was the first hotel in the Fairmont chain to develop an on-site apiary,” says Mark Wadsworth, Executive Sous Chef. “The apiary is also part of the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts philosophy of sustainability and giving back to the environment. We conduct bee tours every day, educating the public about the importance of bees to the environment.”
“The Fairmont Waterfront’s bee population pollinates 60 species of plants in Vancouver, particularly nearby Stanley Park.” He adds, “our bees visit over a million flowers to produce just one pound of honey.”
Noble and useful, certainly, but managing an apiary is a lot of work — adding hives, monitoring bees, making sure they have sufficient food, extracting the honey, getting stung.
Wadsworth knows all this from experience. Despite being allergic, he grew up tending bees and making honey with his father and grandfather. No surprise then that he got tapped for the job of apiarist, in addition to his kitchen duties.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s enjoyable work,” he says. “When things get stressful in the kitchen I like to come up here and work with my 500,000 other colleagues.”
Wadsworth’s busy coworkers produce some 300 kg of honey each year. Putting all that sweet nectar to good use, The Fairmont Waterfront has developed a number of products, including custom-made designer chocolates and granola bars, as well as a range of signature cocktails in the hotel bar. (If gin is your thing, try the Waterfront’s Honey Basil Collins or their Bees Knees cocktail; if whiskey is more to your liking, opt for the Waterfront old Fashioned.)
Rooftop honey has also made its way downstairs into Herons West Coast Kitchen + Bar, influencing the hotel’s restaurant menu items, such as honey-cured sockeye salmon. But if you really want to get a honey fix there are few things on the menu that can satisfy like “Hive Tea”, The Fairmont Waterfront’s curious take on “High Tea”. Along with a range of premium loose-leaf teas to choose from are several mouthwatering honey-infused accompaniments such as honey-almond cakes, thyme-lemon lollipops, honeysweetened butter and bannock scones, paired with fruit preserves, lavender honey and a chunk of raw honeycomb. And don’t concern yourself with all the work The Fairmont Waterfront’s bee population (and executive sous chef) put into it. Instead, take comfort knowing your sweet tooth’s satisfaction involved the cross-pollination of thousands of local flowers. Indeed, environmentalism doesn’t get easier or tastier than this.
l eft: Mark Wadsworth is t he f airmont Waterfront’s full-time executive sous chef and part-time apiarist. r ight: “ h ive tea” offers a range of honey-infused delicacies. t he f airmont Waterfront Photos
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